COVID-19 pandemic leads to some 11,000 excessive deaths in Lithuania – statistics

VILNIUS – The COVID-19 pandemic in Lithuania has led to around 11,000 excess deaths, based on the preliminary figures from the country's statistics service, Statistics Lithuania.

Excess mortality, a mortality rate excess the historic average, was clearly seen in December, 20200, as well as January, October and November, 2021, and that could have to do with COVID-19's Alpha and Delta variants.

"The preliminary and very approximate number of excess deaths during the pandemic stands at 11,000," analysts said in a Facebook post on one of the Statistics Lithuania's accounts.

Excess mortality is probably one of the most objective ways to calculate the number of pandemic victims, but it says nothing about the specific causes of death.

Analysts also point out that more than half of the excess deaths were recorded before mass vaccination started in the country, adding that a total of 16,000 people have died during the pandemic, having contracted the coronavirus at least a month before their death.